Auto Insurance Price

Your auto insurance price is determined by a number of factors. These include characteristics of you as a driver, aspects of your vehicle, discounts you qualify for, as well as a number of other things. Taking the time to educate yourself on these will help you save on your car insurance price the next time you need to buy coverage.

Finding Discounts

One of the easiest way to lower your automobile insurance price is to find out which discounts you qualify for and make sure you get them. This is easier said than done, as some auto insurance companies have different discounts than others, and they often run their discount programs differently. Usually, though, a few simple questions are all it takes to make sure you're paying the lowest possible price for your coverage.

There are a myriad of possibilities for ways to get auto insurance discounts. Some companies offer them based on the safety rating, safety features, anti-theft features, or overall cost of your vehicle. Other companies will lower your rates based on your gender, age, and marital status. In a few states, you can even earn discounts on your coverage based on having a high credit score.

The most common way to get a discount on your vehicle insurance price is based on your past history as a driver. This includes any accidents that you caused and tickets you've received, but also can include claims you made against your insurance policy when you were hit by another vehicle or had your car damaged another way. Because a company has to pay out on these claims just like they pay on the claims for auto accidents you cause, they can count against you when it comes to getting a discount.

Anytime you want to get a discount, talk to your company's representative, either in person, online, or on the telephone. Make sure you discuss all aspects of the discount, and that they make a note to lower your auto insurance price on the spot. That way, you can be sure you're getting every discount you qualify for.

Other Ways to Save

In addition to lowering your auto insurance price based on discounts, there are some other possible ways to save. Most of these will not apply to everyone, but most people should find at least one way to get a lower price on their coverage.

Look into reduced rates through any groups or associations that you or someone in your family belongs to. Many times, these groups will negotiate a lower auto insurance price for their members to offer as an incentive for joining or keeping up membership in a group. Groups that do this include professional organizations, alumni organizations, city organizations and more. In order to get these lower costs on auto insurance, you'll probably want to contact the group or association instead of the company. Usually, the group's headquarters will have the most up-to-date information on deals they've negotiated.

Some companies will also give you a lower price on your car's coverage, even for policies like 6 month car insurance, based on your job or hobbies. If you do something dangerous or like to pursue potentially risky endeavors in your free time, this won't help you. If, however, you are an engineer or work another sort of office job, it's worthwhile to make sure they've taken this into consideration when setting the price of your premiums. Companies do this because people who take less risk overall in life have been statistically shown to also take less risk on the road.

If you are a teacher, police officer, military veteran, or have another job in the public service sector, mention this to your company, too. Some companies will offer reduced prices on their coverage to people who are serving the community with their lives. If you work a union job, you can also see if they have deals worked out with any of the coverage companies in your area.

Sometimes, you can also get a lower auto insurance price just by asking for it. On rare occasions, representatives from your auto insurance company have the ability to lower your price, but only if you ask for it. While this will not work for everyone, it can't hurt to ask anyone you talk to from the company if they'd be willing to cut you an extra deal.

These are just a few of the ways you can reduce your auto insurance price. To make sure you get all of the discounts and other reductions in premium rate that you're qualified for, talk to your auto insurance company directly. In most cases, they will have accounted for everything they can to give you the lowest rates possible. Sometimes, though, certain items may fall through the cracks and a simple conversation is all you need to lower the price of your coverage.